Bronx Teen Critical After Being Hit By Drunk Driver
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- A Bronx teen is in critical condition Sunday after being run down on a sidewalk a block from her home.
Police say a drunk driver veered off a busy road late Saturday night, hitting the teen. Now, a community is rallying around the victim, 17-year-old Emily Sexton, reports CBS 2's Lou Young.
Police say the white pickup truck, with a drunk driver behind the wheel, pinned the teenager against a doorway on City Island Avenue. The impact was so ferocious, it mangled the door behind her.
People in the building said they felt the place shudder.
"It was very loud, and it was pretty startling," witness Steve Wickstrom said. "It shook the building."
The driver may have been trying to turn around, but witnesses said he was moving very fast. The car went into the oncoming lane before jumping onto the sidewalk, where Sexton was standing with friends. She never had a chance to even try to run.
"He did like a U-turn almost, but instead of a U, it was almost like an L shape," witness Tiernan Shanley said.
Nina Fiallo heard the crash and looked out her window from across the street.
"I see a girl on a car, like pinned in [between] the car and the wall," Fiallo said. "He backs up and then she falls, and then he gets out of the car and he faints."
Kevin Fanning was closer. He said the driver was injured and horrified at what he'd done.
"He appeared to also have a broken leg, when he hopped out he kind of fell down right away, but when people came over to him, he said 'no, help her,'" Fanning said.
The victim, Emily Sexton, is a senior at Preston High School in Throggs Neck, where she's well-known and well-liked.
"Emily means a lot to me, and I hope she recovers from this," City Island resident Rita Michelle said.
The driver, 40-year-old Peter Wolfman, has been charged with driving while intoxicated and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.
Neighbors say the weekend speeding along the City Island Avenue strip is all-too-common.
"These guys are drinking," resident Jay Howard said. "It could be anybody's daughter. It's just a shame."
Sexton remains hospitalized Sunday night with two broken legs, a broken arm, a fractured pelvis and a collapsed lung.
